The Key Room builds on Headlands' history of inviting artists to creatively reinterpret place while stewarding the campus through site-sensitive rehabilitation. The Key Room is the sixth of our building commissions, which includes:

1986-87: Rodeo Room and Eastwing: David Ireland
1907 meets 1987 in Headlands' first building rehabilitation taken on by the renowned artist David Ireland. In collaboration with sculptor Mark Thompson and a crew of 24 local artists, Ireland's vision of a gathering space that is both aesthetic and practical found its home.
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1988: The Latrine: Bruce Tomb and John Randolph
Retaining much of the room's anterior military characteristics, Bruce Tomb and John Randolph rebirthed this bygone bathroom to fit in with the contemporary needs of Headlands. Named one of the “50 places to pee before you die” by California Home + Design, The Latrine upholds the utmost respect for raw materials, while unhinging the boundaries between public and private space.
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1989: The Mess Hall: Ann Hamilton
The Mess Hall was transformed at the hands of artist Ann Hamilton, who unearthed its historic bones as the campus' central hub of nourishment, warmth, and community. Flanked by a hearth at either end, The Mess Hall has been home to innumerable meals, conversations, and celebrations in the 25 years since its renovation.
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1999: Building 960: Leonard Hunter and Mark Cavagnero
Originally an 11,800-square-foot former U.S. Army Quartermaster, the rehabilitation of Building 960 is the largest adaptive reuse project in Headlands' history. Hunter and Cavagnero designed this three-story wood frame building to house artistic production and social exchange for practitioners in all creative fields.
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2008: Reverse Ark Victory Garden: Amy Franceschini and Michael Swaine
Inspired by the writings of Cooley Windsor (AIR '00), Amy Franceschini and Michael Swaine built an herbal garden in the tradition of many households during World Wars I and II to keep Headlands' tables and morale afloat in years both full and lean.
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